Stock Market & Financial Investment News

AstraZeneca announces sale of Alderley Park, to take impairment chargesAstraZeneca announced the sale of its Alderley Park site in Cheshire, U.K., to Manchester Science Parks, a Greater Manchester based public-private partnership and science park operator. The sale is part of AstraZeneca’s plan, set out in March 2013, to establish a new global R&D centre and corporate headquarters in Cambridge, U.K., in 2016. AstraZeneca will take pre-tax impairment charges of $275M to non-core R&D expense in 1Q14. This forms part of the costs associated with the footprint changes announced in March 2013.AstraZeneca expects to complete the sale by end of March 2014 and will remain a key tenant on the site. The handover of the site will be phased over a three year period, with the full exit of AstraZeneca R&D staff to take place in line with the completion of the company’s new facility in Cambridge.

AstraZeneca says FDA approves new administration option for BrilintaAstraZeneca announced that the US FDA has approved a new administration option for acute coronary syndrome patients who are unable to swallow BRILINTA 90 mg tablets whole. Unlike other P2Y12 inhibitors, BRILINTA has FDA approval to be crushed and administered in water by swallowing or via nasogastric tube.

Pfizer should rise 'significantly' over next two years, says JefferiesJefferies analyst Jeffrey Holford told investors this morning that he expects shares of Pfizer (PFE) to appreciate "significantly" over the next two years. A survey of U.S. oncologists indicated the company's Ibrance drug will be used in 50% of first line hormonal therapy within one year, with off-label use in all lines of therapy including adjuvant, Holford noted. He thinks peak sales of the drug could top $13B, which is well above consensus. In addition, the analyst views Pfizer's Global Established Pharmaceutical business as being underappreciated by the market. Potential value creating options for the pharmaceutical giant include spinning off its GEP unit by 2017 and accretive acquisitions, with possible takeover targets being Shire (SHPG), Actavis (ACT), AstraZeneca (AZN) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), in the eyes of Holford. He added the stock to the firm's Franchise Picks list, which encompasses its best ideas. He also raised his price target for Pfizer to $45 from $42. The stock closed Friday up 10c to $34.25.